realm / realm/SwiftLint

Rule Request: Preprocessor flag statements inequality check

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rule-request
Dominant language
Swift
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Description

New Issue Checklist
New rule request

For code that is controlled via preprocessor flags (#if DEBUG etc.), an error/warning should appear if all statements embedded in flag check are equal.

1. Why should this rule be added?

Such a check can prevent unexpected runtime behavior if the app doesn't have unit and/or UI tests implemented.

2. Provide several examples of what would and wouldn't trigger violations.

Triggering examples:

static let shouldShowDebugMenu: Bool = {
#if DEBUG
  return true
#else
  return true ↓
#endif
}()
var environment: String {
#if DEBUG
  return "Debug"
#elseif BETA
  return "Debug" ↓
#else 
  return "Debug" ↓
#endif
}
var isPrerelease: Bool {
#if DEBUG || BETA
  return true
#else
  return true ↓
#endif
}
let viewController: UIViewController
#if MOCKING
viewController = FooViewController()
#else
viewController = FooViewController() ↓
#endif 

Non-triggering examples:

static let shouldShowDebugMenu: Bool = {
#if DEBUG
  return true
#else
  return false
#endif
}()
var environment: String {
#if DEBUG
  return "Debug"
#elseif BETA
  return "Beta"
#else 
  return "Production"
#endif
}
var isPrerelease: Bool {
#if DEBUG || BETA
  return true
#else
  return false
#endif
}
let viewController: UIViewController
#if MOCKING
viewController = FooViewController()
#else
viewController = BarViewController()
#endif 

3. Should the rule be configurable, if so what parameters should be configurable?

I can't imagine any options, apart from warning/error level.

4. Should the rule be opt-in or enabled by default? Why?

Preprocessor flag checks are hard to catch unless there are unit or UI tests in the project running on different environments. I would say this should be enabled by default since it prevents runtime issues, potentially affecting production environments.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No files, tests, or entry points are named. Start by locating SwiftLint's existing rule implementations and preprocessor-related tests, then compare them with the triggering and non-triggering examples in this issue. Done means the rule detects equivalent branches, handles the shown conditional forms, and has coverage for both triggering and non-triggering cases.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
swift
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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